


Hold My Girl

by aneta_b



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aneta_b/pseuds/aneta_b
Summary: Poe and Corey had known each other for years, they were friends. Although they had the courage to fight, they couldn't decide how it really was with them... But what is life without risk.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Original Female Character(s), Poe Dameron/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

There was total chaos on the airstrip. Firefighting equipment waited at the ready, smaller vehicles were withdrawn to make as much space as possible, and the medics have already begun to appear with a stretcher. A few minutes earlier, the Resistance base on D'Qar received a signal from one of its units returning from the mission - several wounded, burning engines, and possibly chassis problems.

Poe appeared on the landing pad when a U-Wing ship appeared on the horizon. The ship flew unevenly leaving behind a trail of black smoke in the sky. It hit the landing pad with great force and turned. The team members set off to extinguish the burning outer parts when the hatch finally opened.

"Medic! We need a doctor!" a man shouted, his face sooted.  
"Derex! What happened?!" Poe ran up to him, passing people running around the vehicle.

The man appeared again, this time holding a young woman by his side. Poe felt his heart stop for a moment and then move at double speed. "They knew we were coming! Somehow they knew! It was a trap! It would be a carnage..." moaned Derex.

Poe approached them quickly and helped him lead the girl out of the ship. She hissed in pain when she accidentally hit her foot on the metal gangway of the ship. Only then did he notice a makeshift dressing on her right leg, she was hit in the thigh. Her bright face was covered with soot and dirt that mixed with the traces of blood.

"You looked a lot better when you left, Corey." he said as she held his arm trying to stay on a good leg.

She smiled, shining her teeth. Her dark hair braided around her head looked like she was crawling under a barbed wire, her hands soiled with dirt and blood clutching his shoulder tightly.

"Poe, I have to see General Organa." she said, giving her face a serious look.  
"You must see a doctor first." the pilot replied looking around for some medic. "Someone must see your leg."  
A dirty hand tightened on his shirt as Corey pulled him close. "Lead me to Leia, or I'll crawl there myself." she said through gritted teeth.

He just nodded and put his arms around her waist leading through the landing pad. It wasn't a few minutes, however, when Dameron realized that it made no sense. They moved slowly because her leg was bothering her very much. Without thinking, he squatted and took the girl in his arms.

"Dameron! Put me down!" she moaned in surprise as he carried her towards the base "I'm heavy!"  
"Nonsense! Besides, at this pace we will reach Leia's quarters next week. Just don't imagine too much, Lewis!"  
"No? And it was starting to be nice." she replied trying to smile, but only hissed in pain.

He walked quickly down the corridors, trying not to hold her too tight so as not to press her injured leg. General Organa was surprised when she saw them in her office, but quickly interrupted her conversation with another officer.

"General, I brought Sergeant Lewis!" said Poe putting Corey on the ground. The girl staggered for a moment, but straightened up quickly and trying to hide the grimace of pain.  
"Ma'am, I'm sorry I am in this state, but I had to see you." she said quickly, "First Order knew we would be there. They were waiting for us..."

General Organ's face took on a stone look. She watched the girl carefully, and after a while spoke quietly. "What about Lieutenant Harrds?"

Poe saw Corey shaking her head and pursing her lips. Leia looked down for a moment. "Tell us everything. Stars, Poe! Give her a chair, she can barely stand."

Dameron quickly pulled up a chair and Corey sank into it with a soft sigh. She took a deep breath and looked at Leia. Her eyes were caring now and encouraged her to speak.

"At first, everything went according to plan. We landed out of town, got to the First Order base. It turned out that there were more of them inside than we expected. There was a fire exchange. The second unit was waiting a few streets away. They surrounded us." the girl rubbed her forehead, smudging soot on her face, but neither Leia nor the officer, nor even Poe interrupted her. "Together with the lieutenant… I broke inside to rip the data from computers. The fire was getting stronger. When we left the building we started retreat towards ship. Then we lost two people... They surrounded us. Something was constantly exploding around us, fragments of buildings and vehicles were flying… Lieutenant Harrds was wounded. I had no choice... Two boys caught fire when I got out of the battlefield. I managed to detonate all the charges that we had behind enemy lines. Confusion broke out. There was smoke everywhere... It turned out that I blew up the fuel tank. The unit got to the ship, however, Lieutenant Harrds... I couldn't do it. They shot me when I wanted to come back for him. He was already dead... Derex pulled me into the ship and we flew away..."

Leia put her hands on the desk top, silent. Everyone remained silent as well. Corey stared at her dirty nails, trying to wipe away any blood residue. When she looked at Poe, he saw how her eyes were red.

However, he said nothing, pursing his lips and trying to imagine what they had experienced there. He knew this mission was to be easy, but it turned out that it could end tragically. If not for Corey... It was a miracle that she was only shot.

"So the mission was a failure..." Leia's voice made them both look at her "Our sacrifice was in vain... We only lost people..."  
"No, no!" Corey quickly got up from the chair almost falling over on the floor, but at the last minute she caught the desk "General, I should probably start with that. I’m so sorry!" she pulled a small round database from the inside pocket of her jacket "I have the data that we flew for. All. Intact. I blew up their computers, they won't know what we were looking for."

An officer standing by the General took the database from her hand to pass it on to Leia. The woman stared at it for a long moment, but when she finally looked at the girl, she smiled.

"Corey..." she began gently "What you did was..."  
"I know, I was carried away with this fuel blasting." young woman interrupted, which put a smile on Dameron's face, "I didn't know it was there."  
"You completed the mission. You saved people and brought us the data we needed so much. Lieutenant Harrds trained you well, he would be proud of you."  
Corey smiled slightly. "I hope so..." she said.

Leia circled the desk and walked over to her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "I know that, Corey." she said, "That's why I want to promote you to Lieutenant. It's an honor to work with people like you."  
"But, General... I..."  
"You definitely want to say you are very happy. That's good." the woman nodded to Poe, “Commander, please lead lieutenant Lewis to med-bay, have someone take care of her and bring her to order. Rest Corey, you deserve it."

She left the office, led by Poe, completely surprised. Promotion was something unexpected, she didn't know if she should be happy or crying. She just wanted to provide data, complete the mission they were sent to.

"Lieutenant Lewis." murmured Poe, supporting her as they walked toward the med-bay together, "I'll have to get used to it."  
"Come on, you're a higher military rank, anyway. I should take your orders."  
"Sounds nice." he laughed.  
"If you want me to wash your X-Wing, you'll have to wait for that, Poe." she stopped for a moment and leaned over trying not to moan in pain "I know that I promised you a sparring revenge, but I think you understand... My indisposition would put you in a better position. We can't let this happen. "  
"I can take you in my arms and carry you there, just say the word." suggested the pilot stroking her back with his hand to encourage her. Corey, however, shook her head.  
"I can do it. It's not far." she leaned tighter on Poe’s shoulder as he grabbed her waist more. And slowly, step by step, they walked forward.

Corey Lewis and Poe Dameron had known each other for few years, and could easily call themselves friends. She endured his cocky personality and confidence, and he tolerated her sarcasm and the fact that she could kick his ass in training.

She was one of the few people who didn't flinch when Poe flirted with her, quite the opposite, she started playing with him and they both often checked how far they could go. However, they never went further than verbal scuffing and hugs, which Poe loved.

This didn’t mean, however, that they didn’t think about it. However, they both valued what they built together too much. During the war, it was good to have someone next to you who supported you no matter what, someone who you could go back to.

Only Poe knew how many tears Corey shed when one of her friends died during the mission. She always blamed herself that she could do more, be faster, smarter. Lieutenant Harrds always told her she was great and sufficient, Dameron supported him, but Corey was stubborn. She nodded her head and then thought hers.

And Corey knew all of Poe's fears. They spent many nights under the wings of his X-Wing just talking. He didn't have to be a commander with her, he was just an ordinary boy from Yavin 4 who wanted to become a pilot.

BB-8 rolled around the landing pad looking for a familiar figure and finally stopped under the black and orange X-Wing. He squeaked several times and poked lightly at Poe's leg, giving him a signal that he was next.

"Do you have it, buddy? Okey, connect to her and update what you need." the man muttered, wiping his dirty hands on the work overalls. Droid quickly took up the position and barely hooked up to the ship again squeaked several times.

"You couldn't see her." said Poe, sitting down on one of the chests with the parts "Sergeant... Lieutenant Lewis was to stay in med-bay until tomorrow. So she can't just walk around the base."

BB-8, however, didn’t give up and stubbornly squeaked. Poe scratched his head and neck, and stretched as he stood up. He personally escorted Corey to med-bay and even helped her remove her shoes and pants before the doctor arrived. Her leg really looked bad.

"Buddy, I told you. Corey is not here." he repeated, glancing at the datapad to track the progress of the droid's work "How do you see her now? Where?"

He looked around the landing pad and saw several people circling their machines. Several recruits took advantage of the free evening and settled on the grass near the main hangar. And then... BB-8 didn’t lie. Corey came out of the building and slowly, still limping, headed in the opposite direction from everyone to hide in the vicinity of nearby trees.

Poe sighed resignedly, he could tell the doctors to tie her to bed. "Yes, I will go to her." he murmured at the electronic squeak of a droid, "Focus on work, little one."

He moved slowly after Corey, whom he still saw in the distance. He put his hands in his pockets enjoying a quite pleasant evening and still kept an eye on her. When she finally sat on the grass under one of the trees, he circled her and waited a moment before he approached her from the other side.

"Kriff! Dameron!" she moaned almost jumping up when he unexpectedly sat down next to her "You'll kill me someday!"  
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in med-bay, I think it was even an order." he laughed, nudging her gently on the shoulder.  
"Punish me, Dameron." she replied frowning slightly, "I had to go to the refresher, change clothes... I still have the impression that I smell of fuel."

He moved so close to her that he forced her to lean over and took a deep breath. She smelled of soap and herself, just like her quarters smelled.

"Naaah... It's not that bad." he murmured, "It's worse with me. Want to check?"  
"Thank you, but I won't take advantage of this pleasure."  
"How's your leg?"

Corey glanced at the swelling under her pants, which indicated the bacta dressing she was wearing.

"A few days and I'll be like new, said the doctor. Thank you for helping me." she said.  
"I didn't want to watch you crawl around the base, it wouldn't look good after being promoted to lieutenant."

The smile on her face vanished at once. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed quietly. She didn't look like a person enjoying her promotion.

"I wonder..." she started quietly "I wonder why Leia promoted me... If Harrds were still alive she would probably never have thought about it. Please, don't think I am not grateful to her. I really am! But I would prefer Michael he was still here... "

Poe knew her story very accurately. Corey Lewis was from Corellia, her father fought the Empire, and Harrds was one of his subordinates. Their friendship remained after years and when Corey's father died Michael decided to take care of his daughter. He found her when she smuggled goods for one of the smaller cartels, but quickly convinced her to join the Resistance. She had nothing to lose. After a few months, she met Poe in one of the first bases after she knocked him down during training. And so they stayed together.

"You know you're good." said Poe, looking at her, "You are really good. What you did... You saved your people, Corey. Your promotion was a matter of time."  
"You think so?"  
"Yeah, of course!”

She smiled and put her head on his shoulder. Then he saw it. A glass, squat bottle rested between her legs. He reached for it quickly.

"Where do you get Corellian whiskey?" Poe was so delighted that Corey smiled to herself, "You didn't want to drink it yourself, did you?"

Her head still rested on his shoulder as she watched him unscrew the bottle and bring it closer to his mouth.

"For your promotion, Lieutenant Lewis!" he toasted and took a deep sip of whiskey. He handed her the bottle and Corey felt a slight burning pain in her throat as the drink filled her mouth. 

The bottle wandered between their hands until the sun set over the horizon and a cool evening began to absorb the entire base. Corey felt how drunk she was when Poe tried to help her up. If General Organa saw them now, they would have been grounded for a week.

"I can't move anywhere for the next few days. Worry about yourself, Commander. " Corey laughed, trying to stay on her feet.

Poe embraced her waist and waited for her to do the same, and when she grabbed him more confidently they moved towards the main entrance. In the brightly lit corridors he saw the blushes on her cheeks and slightly dreamy eyes. They didn’t drink together for the first time, but he always liked the view. As soon as someone passed them, they tried not to attract attention.

"You should stop hanging out with him, Corey." Jess passed them shaking their heads disapprovingly, but smiling slightly "Dameron has a bad influence on you."  
"Don’t listen to her!" Poe covered Corey's ears with his free hand, hugging her more tightly, "Jess is angry because she had to complete her reports."  
"It was your task, Commander!"

They stopped at the door of Lewis's quarters and after a few attempts the man finally entered the code to open it.

"Sorry, but I can't stay with you tonight." he said, straightening up and combing his hair with his hand as the girl leaned against the doorframe to say goodbye to him, "You have to deal with it yourself."  
"I think I can handle it myself. I have managed it so many times without you, I can do it now." she winked at him and immediately saw his mischievous smile, "You finally understood, that's good, Poe. Good night."

She slipped inside and wanted to close the door behind her when Dameron stopped it with his hand. His dark curly head appeared again before her eyes.

"I just wanted to say..." he began uncertainly and quietly as if trying to find some suitable words "You really deserved this promotion, Corey. You are really good."

She moved closer to him and Poe felt her pleasant smell again. A warm hand gently stroked his rough cheek. From that distance he could see the small wounds on her face, but also the smile she gave him.

"Thank you, Poe." she said softly and before he could react she kissed his cheek hard and then embraced his neck hugging him tightly to herself.

He almost fell over her because of her leg, Corey put all her weight on him. Poe returned the hug, then kissed her forehead, wishing her a quiet night.

That's how it was with them. Poe often wondered if he should take a chance and try something more with Corey. He fought with himself many times not to ruin it. He knew perfectly well that he was close to her, but Poe wasn't sure if he wanted to be close only in this way. Especially when he could still feel her lips on his cheek.

He spotted BB-8 on his charging base, so he quietly took off his shoes and overalls and then went to bed. Alcohol in his blood quickly brought him a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few days, Corey was grounded because of her leg. She was looking for any job and revolved around friends who would give her their duties, which they would postpone.

Her quarters had also been cleaned properly and Poe was surprised when she arrived at his X-Wing with one of his tools.

"I've been looking for this for several weeks!" he said delighted "I didn't think I could leave it at your place."  
Snap looked at them, surprised, scratching his head. "Corey, I don't think I want to know what Poe was doing at your quarters with THIS."  
"Great things." she answered hearing the pilot choking with laughter.

So when she finally found herself next to Jess, she had already updated several droids behind her, did a gun review and cleaned up the med-bay warehouse.

"Do you really want to make these reports for me? It's a lot of work. " Jess grunted as Corey sat down at her X-Wing and raised her datapad "In total, our commander should take care of this..."  
"Do you think Poe will devote his valuable attention to this?" the girl laughed "Come on! I will gladly help you. I’m so bored... I’m only looking forward to returning to training. "  
"What did the doctor say?" Jess's voice was distorted when she disappeared into the cockpit for a moment.  
"Two or three days. I will go to him tonight, maybe I will convince him... "  
"Will you come to me tonight? I will have to get rid of BB-8. "  
"Hi, Poe."

She didn't even take her eyes from Jess's datapad. Poe glanced over his shoulder and scratched his chin. "It's not your job." he said, "You should be more assertive, Corey."

"Said the one who most often uses Corey!" Pava shouted, sticking her head out of the cockpit. “How many reports has she done for you? Can you write at all, Poe?”  
"Oh, keep quiet!" the pilot shouted.

He was wearing a work overalls, sleeves tied around his waist, revealing the black T-shirt he had underneath, and when he sat down next to her, Corey saw that his face was already covered with stubble of hair for several days.

"Here. Don't say Jess." he whispered, giving her a sweet bar from the food rations they sometimes got, and Corey loved them. Poe always put away one for her whenever he saw them, he loved her joy when she got them.

"Where did you get it?" she asked smiling and putting it in her pocket.  
"I took from the warehouse. There was delivery a few days ago."  
"You are naughty." she poked him lightly on the shoulder.  
"Yeah? Will you punish me?" he laughed at her.  
"Do you know that I'm still here?" Jess looked out of the cockpit again, "You are a hopeless charmer, commander. I'm really glad Corey has this date today."

Poe frowned in surprise, his look from Jess's face shifted to Corey. He saw her ears gently crimson and focused more on her work by tapping the datapad quickly.

"Do you have a date today?" he asked and she quickly nodded, "Who is the lucky one?"  
"Captain Willis." Pava answered for her, and when she saw the murderous look Corey hid in the cockpit again.

Poe bit his lip and raised his eyebrows, he knew Captain Patt Willis. Corey was still silent, so he decided to ask a question that was on his mind.

"Do you two meet long?" she shook her head, "You didn't say anything about him."  
"Because there is nothing to talk about." she sighed "When you were on the last mission, Willis came back from Hosnian Prime. We trained a little together and finally he invited me on a date. Now we both have some time so..."  
"Oh, I understand." Poe nodded, "Will you tell me how it was then?"  
She looked at him clearly surprised. "I never wanted you to tell me about your dates, so I won't tell you myself either."  
"I can tell you something... Recently, for example, I met..."  
"Poe, please! I don't want to listen!" Corey moaned and stood up clutching the datapad in her hand, "Jess, I'll give you the report tonight. I'm coming from here because Dameron teases me."  
"Corey, come on! Corey! You are a shrew!" he shouted after her, but the girl didn't even turn around but raised her hand to say goodbye to him.

Jess finally left her ship and, wiping the hands with a cloth tied to her suit, sat down next to Poe.

"Are you jealous, Dameron?" she asked looking at the man.

Poe raised an eyebrow and looked at her mockingly. How could he be jealous? Corey was a free person, she could date anyone she wanted, but in fact - the thought that she met someone when he was away was a bit awkward.

"Do you know that if she and Willis... If something happens, you won't be able to meet so often?" Jess continued, "I don't know if Willis would like to meet you at her quarters."  
"Corey and me... we're just friends." Dameron answered her.

The girl just shrugged. If they both thought so, why should she think otherwise.

He couldn’t focus on anything, and even more he didn’t want to sit alone in his quarters, so when the hangar finally deserted Poe stayed at his ship trying to fix even the smallest fault he found. His thoughts wandered aimlessly, but he always kept them back to Corey.  
Probably now she and Captain Willis...

"Kriff!" he hissed as the key he held in his hand slipped and dropped painfully to his foot.

He had never felt like this before and didn’t know what caused it. He couldn't be jealous of Lieutenant Lewis, she was his friend for years. Just like Jess and Snap, and many others. He didn't feel that way when he saw Jess talk to someone, that's why it was so weird.

"Are you catching up, Commander?" her voice rang right next to him and Poe hit the top of his head on the stomach of the X-Wing.

He cursed loudly, clutching at the sore spot, and turned toward the girl. Corey was smiling broadly at him, he saw in her hands a flower that was growing in the nearby forests.

"I thought you had a date." he said wiping his hands on his shirt "What are you doing here?" He looked around the hangar, but Corey was alone.  
"I met BB-8, he said I would find you here." she replied calmly, "And the date was very successful, thank you."  
"He gave you a flower?" the pilot pointed to the plant in her hand "Romantic."  
"Yeah, I think so too..." her voice was calm and kind of dreamy. She was turning the flower stem in her hands and looking at it.  
"So? What are you doing here?"  
"I don’t know..."

Corey looked really nice. She was wearing a graphite shirt, well ironed, although the number of buttons unbuttoned in it was definitely not regular. Her hair was braided into a loose braid and several strands freely fell on her face and neck.

She wasn't lying. When BB-8 told her where to find Poe, she immediately turned back from her way to her quarters. She didn't know why, thought it would be good to see him. And now as he stood before her, she didn't know what to say.

"So… The date was successful?" asked the pilot throwing the tool into the box.  
"Yes, I think so." Corey replied sitting down on one of the supply crates next to her. She watched Poe clean up after himself, and the sound of the tools being thrown echoed around the hangar.  
"And I think it was a total failure."

She looked at him in surprise.  
"If it were otherwise, you wouldn't be here with me." continued Poe "And that means only one thing..."  
Corey frowned as her heart began to beat dangerously quickly. "What does it mean?" she asked.  
"That the date went wrong. It's easy!" Poe put his hands on his hips and watched her with a winning smile on his face "If you had an appointment with me I wouldn't let you hang around the hangar behind other pilots. I wouldn't let you out of my quarters."

It was only when the words left his mouth did he realize what he had said. Corey tilted her head slightly smiling cautiously.

"But we're friends, right? You wouldn't date me." she murmured "It would be weird, I think so..."

Poe ran his hand through his hair and scratched his neck. The whole situation seemed a bit strange to him. The tension between them grew, but none of them defined exactly what they meant. Corey pulled her legs to the crate and crossed them, placing the flower aside.

"Can I ask you something, Poe?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"We are friends. We have known each other for a long time, you have already slept in my quarters more than once, I even have your underwear in the closet." the girl smiled and the same smile appeared on his face "What is this all about?"

They stared at each other, letting the words she say hang between them. She tried to figure it out, and only Poe could help her. "Patt is a really cool guy..." she continued. "He's nice and funny, intelligent and you know... I had a great time with him, but I don't know. Something was missing..."  
"Have you kissed?"  
"What?"  
"You know... Sometimes it's all about. You kiss someone and you know if something will come from it or not." Poe came up to her, "There is probably nothing more intimate... Well, maybe it is. But for starters... Did you kiss him?"

Corey nodded uncertainly and the pilot felt as if she had stuck a needle into his heart with this gesture. However, he cleared his throat so that she would not discover his confusion and would look like an expert.

"And how was it?" Poe asked. The girl shrugged. "So the date went wrong."  
"You're terrible, Poe!" she nudged his shoulder and jumped quickly off the crate "Maybe it's not about that at all. Maybe I should decide on something more with him to see if it makes sense"  
"Really? Do you really think so?" laughed Dameron "Good luck then!"

Corey huffed up a little irritated. Poe was really hopeless. "And how did you last pick up someone, huh?" she asked "Tell me about your conquests. Maybe you have some golden tips?"  
"I can't because I would seduce you."

The girl rolled her eyes. Poe loved to flirt and brag about it, but now he clearly avoided the subject. She didn't know why. So Corey gave up. The conversation was getting more and more tiring and she slowly regretted that she was tempted to come to him at all.

"I guess I'll go to my place..." she finally said, sliding her hands into her pants pockets, "I don't want to disturb you."  
"You never disturb, Corey. I'm sorry, I'm in a strange mood lately. Maybe I'll walk you away? What do you say?"  
"No, you don't have to." she shook her head and started towards the exit "Good night, Poe."

She hasn’t talked to him for several days. No, maybe he put it wrong. Corey talked to him, but not as always. She had already managed to get back to training and Poe hoped that they would finally be able to talk there.

Girl sighed quietly as he stood in front of her in a tank top and sweat pants. "You are not ready for failure, Commander," she murmured, tying her hands with tape.  
"I feel this is my lucky day, Lewis."

She shrugged and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The sun shone that day and the air was steamy. She finally stood before him, assuming a position. She didn’t warn, she immediately attacked. Poe blocked her blows, but finally Corey cut off his legs and he landed on his back. She circled him watching him try to get to his feet.

"I think you're a little nervous today." he said again taking the position and blocking her hits "Focus, Corey!"

He grabbed her hand and with one agile movement he turned her and pressed against him. Poe felt her breathing quickly, and after a moment she elbowed him in the ribs, stepped on his foot, and Poe was lying face down with Corey sitting on his back.

"You can do better!" he moaned trying to get up.  
"You couldn't do it then. Anyway, like now."

She left him and let him get up. Corey brushed her hair back from her face and looked at Poe. Despite another defeat, there was still a smile on his lips. She felt like a T-shirt sticking to her body, sweat running down her back. She wasn't prepared for his attack. She tried to kick him, but Poe stopped her leg at knee height and after a moment Corey felt her hit the ground. He blocked her hands pressing her tighter with his body.

"You're giving up?" he laughed at her surprise.

She murmured something but didn't say a word. She avoided his gaze although his face was close.  
"I'll let you go if you tell me what happened." he said and pressed her harder on the ground, hissed softly.  
"Nothing happened." she answered, but Poe hadn’t heard anything so insincere for a long time.  
"Come on! Tell me." he continued, "Did you sleep with Captain Willis?"  
Finally her eyes met his. "It's not your business." she said "My bed, my business."  
"As you said - we shared this bed more than once, so I should probably have something to say. And before you say that your panties are also your business, please, notice that mine are in the same drawer, so..."  
"Kriff! Dameron! You are terrible!" she moaned loudly.

His smile annoyed her more and more. She was about to say something, but then, unaware of anything, Snap came to her aid. He called Dameron, and when he focused on his friend Corey took advantage of it. She freed her wrists quickly and pushed Poe up from the wet grass.

She wanted to say something. He saw it, but she stopped herself and quickly backed off toward the base entrance.

"Trouble in paradise?" Snap stared at the girl and looked at Poe. "When will you finally tell her that you don't like her dating Willis?"  
"Corey is no longer dating Patt!" Jess cut in on their conversation without hesitating. "If you were talking, she would probably tell you that."  
"How do you know that?" Poe was surprised, and Jess was clearly happy about it.  
"Because Corey is talking to me? And you were really nasty to her."

Poe looked at Jess. She was breathing heavily like them, but she was clearly glad she knew more than he did.

"I'm not rude to Corey at all." Poe finally said "What do you know?"  
"I won't tell you anything, Dameron!" Jess felt that she was giving orders now and she had no intention of giving up "I have been making all the reports for you for weeks..."  
"Good! Okey!" Poe raised his hands in sign of surrender "I will make reports myself."  
"My X-Wing also needs washing..." the man looked at her, frowning, but finally nodded.

So she proudly folded her arms around her chest and approached him with a devious smile. "Captain Willis wanted Corey to fly with him to Hosnian Prime." she said in a conspiratorial whisper, "He even talked to the General about it. He wanted Corey to start working with him directly and she... Well. She emphatically told him that she wouldn’t move from D'Qar and he should not decide for her. Then they started talking about you, Poe... "  
  
Snap looked at the friend who was clearly surprised. His ears were slightly red. "Why did they talk about me?" Dameron asked, "What do I have to do with this?"  
"Will you do diagnostics on my ship?" a cunning smile appeared on Jess's face.  
"Yes! Kriff! Say everything!" Poe moaned and Wexley laughed.

She didn't know what was happening to her, but she certainly didn't like it. Within weeks, she was promoted to lieutenant, ended a relationship that had not yet started, and with Commander Poe Dameron had worse contact than ever.

So Corey focused on her work, training new recruits who had just arrived at the base. Thanks to that she could avoid Poe.

They had argued and had _"quiet days"_ before, as Jess called it. They only talked when it was inevitable, for example during meetings with the General or when they met in the canteen for meals.  
However, when during training Poe asked her if she slept with Captain Willis, she really got upset.

Two days earlier she had told him that she would not fly to Hosnian Prime with him, that he shouldn’t interfere in her work, shouldn’t talk to General Organa about her without her knowledge. Then Willis said that Corey was slowly beginning to sound like Dameron, that maybe she should think to rest from this acquaintanceship, because the commander appears too often in their conversation.

Maybe Willis was right? Poe Dameron was certainly her friend, but what was it all about? She realized that if their relationship continued to look like this, someone's heart would eventually break, and Corey was afraid it would be hers. So she decided to withdraw quietly. Poe didn’t make it easy...

A knock on the door reached her on the evening visit to the refresher. She barely had time to pull on her shirt, she heard Poe's voice outside the door.

"Corey! I know the code for your quarters. If you don't open I will come alone and then I won't care if you are dressed or..."

The door opened abruptly and he saw the girl's face with still slightly wet hair. She didn't seem impressed by his sight. "Stop shouting like that!" she hissed, "Half the base heard you yelling to me.."  
"I wanted to talk, you avoid me."  
"I'm not avoiding at all, I'm busy. We can talk tomorrow." she wanted to close the door, but Poe blocked it with his arm almost entering it.  
"I have something for you." he murmured and pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket. He smiled slyly at her and raised an eyebrow, which automatically made Corey smile. Stars, he missed the sight so much.  
"Only one?"

Poe was prepared for it and after a while he pulled out another three. Corey opened the door a little and gestured him in. Her quarters were no different than the others - a bed, dresser and desk with chair. After all, Poe liked to be there, Corey made every place feel cozy. He put the bars on the desk and looked at the girl.

She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, apparently getting ready to sleep, although the datapad on the bed was proof that she wanted to work before it. Poe sat on bed as if he were at home.

"You have a scar. On your leg." he noted pointing at her thigh.

Corey glanced at the place he had indicated. A bright spot of irregular shape betrayed the place where she was shot.

"Oh, I know. It's weird to the touch." she laughed.  
"Really? Show me!"

She went to the bed and stood sideways so that Poe could see for himself. He had warm fingers when he touched her skin gently. He ran his finger softly over the scar, feeling how delicate the skin was. Unknowingly, his other hand slid down her leg, entwining her lightly at knee height.

"What brings you to me, Poe? What did you want to talk about?" her question tore him away for a moment and he took his hands away from her.

Corey sat on the bed next to him, pulling her legs up. Poe was already completely relaxed. He put his hands behind him, almost lying on her bed. "I've heard that Captain Willis is no longer valid." he said.  
"Jess..." Corey interjected quickly, and Poe nodded.  
"It cost me a lot to get this information from her."  
"I hope so! In her place I would use you to the limit."  
"Yeah, I know you a little bit." he laughed, "But is this really over? You and Willis?" she nodded.  
"We had a slightly different view on many issues. He wanted me to fly out and work with him. I think I surprised him a little with my reaction..."  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to go out on such an asshole. If I knew... I went out on an idiot asking you if you slept with him." Corey looked at him closely, "I shouldn't care. You can sleep with whoever you want."  
"Thank you for permission, Commander."  
"Which doesn't mean you should sleep with anyone!"  
"Of course. If I meet someone again, I'll come and ask you for your opinion. Maybe you can give me some valuable tips on how I could please my partner and..."  
"Kriff! Shut up now!" Poe pressed his hands to his ears and lay down completely on her bed.  
"Poe! But it's brilliant!" Corey sat down next to him pulling his hands "Tell me! Since I was under the command of lieutenant Harris, none of our team members had the courage to touch me with a finger. Now I have a chance! Now I see how many wonderful men are next to me!"

He covered her mouth with his hand, turning her over to the bed. Laughter filled her room.

"I missed you..." he said quietly, watching the smile wander in her face "I don't like when it is so... strange between us."  
She found his hand in the bedclothes and squeezed slightly, smiling at him. "I missed you too."

Without taking his eyes off her face, he considered in his head everything he heard from Jess, what he saw in Corey, what he felt. And Poe decided on this step, which he was so afraid of. But when if not now. Before Corey could react, he rose on the bed and closed her between his arms just to brush her lips with his.

She was surprised. He saw it in her eyes. She stared at him for a long moment, and Poe was about to say something, apologize, promise it wouldn't happen again. However, Corey didn’t seem angry. A delicate smile appeared on her lips, and after a moment she put her hand on his neck and pulled him to her. Barely her lips touched his, Poe lost his temper - he parted his lips catching her mouth and kissing her tenderly.

It was amazing. Corey gave him his kisses as if she couldn't enjoy him herself. She tucked her fingers in his hair, bringing him closer together. Poe allowed himself to cling to her body, slid his hand down and feeling her body tense at his touch.

He pulled away from her mouth for a moment. "Corey..." he sighed, smiling at her "I've wanted to do this for a long time."  
"I know, I wanted it too." she nodded quickly and rose up enough to feel his mouth again.

It was wonderful to kiss him. His tongue slowly slid into her lips, changing their kisses into more passionate. In an instant Corey pushed him away.

"Did you come here with that intention?" she asked, frowning slightly.  
"I just wanted to apologize to you, but I took the opportunity." he replied. His slightly closed eyes wandered her face. He kissed her again, held his breath one more time.  
"I didn't sleep with Willis." once again detached from him "I want it to be clear."  
"I know, I know you haven't slept with him. I know you, Corey, you're not like that."  
"And what am I like?"  
"Only mine."  



	3. Chapter 3

"I can't look at her." Poe moaned as he sat down by the ship with the datapad in his hand.  
Wexley glanced across the landing site where he saw Pava working on her X-Wing. The man scratched his neck. "You mean Jess? What's wrong with her?"  
"She still has that expression on her face, _"I knew it would be like that.”_ She has been looking at me like that for several days!” said Poe.  
"Because she knew! Anyway, if it wasn't for her, you and Corey would probably have shot yourself long ago."  
"Lieutenant Lewis, Wexley!" Dameron corrected him. "Besides, Corey wouldn't shoot at me."  
"Yeah, and she accidentally beat you in training lately. Come on!"  
"I let her win, it's always like that."

Snap nodded and went back to work, occasionally glancing at a friend focused on finishing the report. A few days earlier, Dameron had told him that he and Corey seemed to have a deal and that something would come of it. At least, he hoped so.  
However, they decided not to rush, take it all calmly.

"So? When will Lieutenant Lewis come back?" Snap muttered as he entered the cockpit.  
"Should be today." Poe answered, "They were supposed to make contact with new allies to set up a base."  
"I heard about it, this planet doesn't seem nice. It's no wonder the General sent a whole unit."

Dameron looked away from the screen and looked at the blue sky as if hoping to see the familiar shape of the ship, but it was empty. He didn't say anything to his friend, but since yesterday they had no news from Lieutenant Lewis and anyone from the unit.

"They may have a broken transmitter, or they are simply out of range." said the young woman responsible for communication, "We should wait until they come back. Nothing else we can do."

Corey, however, didn't show up on D'Qar that day or the next one. The tension in the base was rising because no one really knew what happened. Poe moved from the hangar to the corridors near the communications center to be able to take orders from General Organa as soon as possible.

"We have communication!" one of the employees shouted around the room. Three days have passed since the unit's planned return to base, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, "Lieutenant Lewis? What's your condition? What happened?"

"Turn on the main speaker." Leia ordered, and after a while the room was filled with cracks "Corey, are you there? Where are you? What happened?"  
"Good to hear you, General." a familiar voice rang through the speakers and Poe closed his eyes feeling relief filling his heart "Negotiations were a bit... intense. I’m asking for permission to land.”  
"You have permission. Land, lieutenant."  
"General Organa? Can we count on firefighting services? Ummm...I think we are burning a little."

Poe was looking for a familiar face among people on the airstrip. He finally found her. She had a tired face, but she smiled as soon as she saw him.

"You're late. Three days." he said embracing her with all his might, "What were you thinking?"  
"Stars, we met the First Order along the way. We barely managed to escape." she moaned clenching her fingers tightly over Poe's overalls "I thought we couldn't do it..."

He pushed her away from him and looked at her carefully, checking that she was all right, but Corey just smiled.

"Leia is waiting for me." she laughed, "See you later? I'll pay a lot for a warm shower and a meal."  
"You invite me to your place?" he smiled slyly.  
"No, I'm giving you a chance to invite me to dinner. But okay, I can handle it myself. Commander, I have to apologize to you, but I have to leave."

He managed to kiss her hard on the cheek before she disappeared among the crowd on the landing pad.

"Do you think it's safe? I mean... Missions are never safe, especially stand-alone ones."  
"Leia knows what she is doing. She doesn't eventually send a recruit for this task."  
"I know, I know... That's not the point." Corey came out of the refresher in her underwear and walked over to the cabinet to pull out clean clothes.

Poe had seen her in her underwear more than once, but it was always a great pleasure for him to look furtively at her body. During the time spent on missions and in the barracks, people lacked ordinary human closeness and intimacy. Corey never complained. She wasn't walking in her underwear alone in front of all the Resistance, only Poe, but he was a friend.

"Jakku doesn't sound friendly..." she muttered, pulling out her sweatpants "Besides, that's all... Hey! What are you doing?!"

Dameron was next to her within a few seconds, and Corey had the feeling that he had mastered the art of teleportation. He raised her hand high revealing nasty bruises all over her side and back.

"What is this?" he asked touching her bruised skin and the girl hissed softly "Who did this to you?"  
"I told you, the negotiators were intense." she replied, but seeing that Poe didn’t seem satisfied with the answer, she added "Look, residents couldn’t cope with the local gang. We had to help them."  
"It looks like you take care of it all by yourself."  
"I just threw myself at the biggest of them. That’s the secret.”  
"Did you win?"  
"This is why I am here."

Dameron sighed and rubbed his jaw with his hand. Corey quickly pulled on her pants and T-shirt ignoring his face.

"Hey, I'm fine. I looked worse." she said seeing that he still didn't seem happy "They shot me recently. I also had a broken head..."  
"Four stitches and three hours without consciousness." Poe added.  
"... broken ribs..."  
"Grounded for a week."  
"Oh, and the guy with the knife who gave me that scar I have on my shoulder blade."  
"I told you then you didn’t have to cover me."  
"Yes, that would be your last words before you died. Maybe you can come up with some better ones Commander?" her warm hands found his face. She smelled of soap and cleanliness. "There is war, Poe. Injuries are better than death."

She hugged him tightly. Corey was always there when he needed her. Whatever happens. She could argue with him, they could take offense at each other, but only she hugged him in such a way because she knew how he needed it. And she didn't ask anything, just hugged.

When he kissed her for the first time it wasn't until the next day that she felt fear of what had happened. Being in Resistance for several years has understood one important thing - you can’t attach to anyone or anything. Friendship and trust were important, allowing survival during missions or lonely nights.

Corey felt so lonely that when she met Captain Poe Dameron defended herself for a long time against liking him. He was too confident, cocky and attracted people like a magnet. She knew perfectly well that he was the most trusted man for General Organa, that was enough for her.

But she knew the true Poe from one of the inferior missions they both were on. Then Corey adopted the knife blade that was intended for Poe. However, more than a wound hurt her loss of close people and then Dameron stood up to the task. Although she was pushing him away with all her strength, saying that everything was all right, that she was doing well, one night she simply took refuge in his arms in a dark and deserted hangar crying all the pain in herself. After a while he found himself in her quarters and he hid there when the pain of war and fighting reached him. That's why they both knew that what they had was too valuable to lose by stupid attempts to see if something more could come out of it. Slowly.

Dameron spent the night before leaving for the mission on Jakku in her room. He nestled in Corey’s arms, letting her fingers comb his curly hair, listened to her heartbeat knowing that she was awake. Corey could never sleep when he had to go on dangerous missions. She knew that his X-Wing was in good working order, she helped him check it out twice, she trusted General Organa and knew that she wouldn’t stop Poe from leaving.

"I'll be back. I'll be back before you blink." he promised her when she escorted him to the hangar in the morning.  
"I've winked a few times already." she replied and felt him poking her arm, "Just take care of yourself, okey? Come back in one piece."  
"Are you worried about me, Lieutenant Lewis?" His wide smile could melt many hearts.  
"Resistance needs you, Commander. Alive."  
"And you?"  
"I haven't found any application for you yet, Dameron."  
"Maybe I can help you find a job for me?" he murmured, pulling her with her pants belt and adding in a whisper, "Any occupation just for the two of us?"  
"Come back in one piece, and I'll think about it."  
"I'll be back."

Poe Dameron didn’t return. The news that contact with the commander was lost and that First Order appeared on Jakku spread to D'Qar at a rapid pace. Corey focused completely on her work, but her eyes kept looking for a familiar shape in the sky. He was nowhere to be found.

"Dameron will make it, he always manages. He was born under a lucky star." Jess looked at her friend who had been working on overdue reports for several hours. She saw her worries, and although Pava considered herself a tough person, she had to admit she was afraid of Poe herself.

"There is no such thing as a 'lucky star'." Corey said harshly, "You know that, Jess."< br>  
"Okey, let's say the Force is always with him. Dameron can be restless and shoots first, then thinks, but he was the best person for this mission."  
"I know. I'm just worried about this... idiot."  
"If Poe promised you he would come back, even First Order would not stop him."

The noise outside the door woke her and she quickly jumped out of bed. She didn't even know she was asleep. She was still wearing a work overalls. Corey opened the door and dazzled by the bright light of the lamps, but she saw the familiar figure in front of her.

"Poe..." His name was something between a sigh of relief and the joy of standing in front of her.

He looked terrible - someone beat him hard and he looked as if he had walked from Jakku to D'Qar on foot. However, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all her might.

"You should be on medbay. When did you get back?" she whispered feeling as he hugged her tightly.  
"Maybe two hours ago... I don't know." said Poe, "I was in medbay but I wanted to see you."

Corey pulled away from him, taking his tired face in her hands, brushing his still wet hair. She wanted to say how much she was afraid of him, how much she missed, but all she could do was... She slapped him. And Dameron knew he deserved it. A second later, however, Corey's warm mouth felt on his as she kissed him as if their life depended on it.

"You are so stupid, Poe..." she whispered "I was so scared for you. Where is BB-8?"  
"Will you let me in? I'll tell you everything."

Poe sat on her bed with considerable difficulty, and Corey sat on the floor in front of him, resting her arms on his knees and staring at him. He told her everything - about the mission, the map, about the First Order and the destroyed X-Wing, about how he ordered BB-8 to hide with the map, but when he got to the interrogation, his voice broke.

"I was only thinking about you..." he said quietly and his voice trembled "I have never felt such pain before. Ren was poking in my head, getting everything he wanted from me, and I could only think of you..."  
"You couldn't do anything, Poe..." Corey replied feeling his fingers gently stroke her cheek. "Ren is very powerful. He would break me much faster..."  
"I don't want to think about it, Corey... I thought I'd die there. If it wasn't for Finn..."

Corey quickly rose and sat on his lap, hugging Poe tenderly to herself. She heard his silent cry, but didn't say a word. He needed her touch, closeness to her body, warmth of her skin. She stroked his shoulders, kissed the top of his head tenderly, let him embrace her as much as he needed. It was only when he calmed down that she took his face in his hands and kissed him tenderly. Poe never needed her so much.

He sat down on the bed so violently that for a moment he felt that the darkness surrounding him was spinning before he finally managed to focus on something. Cold sweat ran down his back, and every breath was like a cry for help. He almost jumped when he felt a move next to him.

"Poe? What happened?" Corey sat down next to him, putting her arm around him, "You're all wet... Take your shirt off."

He was completely unaware when the girl helped get rid of wet clothing. After a moment she handed him a glass of water and sat on the bed next to her, looking at her watch.

"You've only been sleeping for two hours. You should still try to sleep."  
"I'll go to my place. I don't want to disturb you..."  
"Don't fool around, Poe." she found his hand in the bedclothes and squeezed her tighter, encouraging him, "I have to get up anyway. You can stay here as long as you need. Okey?"

Dameron nodded, moving her hand closer and kissing her tenderly. How did he deserve Corey beside him? He would prefer that she would not go to work, that she would stay here with him, that he could cuddle her again and feel her heartbeat. He needed her so much that he felt selfish in this affection.

All day her thoughts went back to her quarters where she left Poe. She couldn't think of anything other than what he had told her that had happened to him. She didn't think she would ever see Poe like that.  
At lunchtime, she brought a tray of food into the room and left it at his bedside trying to move as quietly as possible so as not to wake him up. The bruises on his back broke her heart. She knew that this was the war, she had seen worse things. However, nothing hurt like the pain of loved ones.  
She lasted long, really long. It wasn't until the end of the day that Jess found her near her X-Wing where Corey hid, pretending to finish some report. Pava almost forced her to come back to Poe to tell him everything she told her. He should listen to this.

"You cried?"

That was the first question that came from his mouth as soon as Corey appeared in her room. She didn't answer. She went to the refresher wanting to wash away the trouble of the whole day as soon as possible. Poe watched again as she slowly put on a clean T-shirt, enjoying the little pleasure of looking at her body. She twitched when she felt his hand slide over her shoulder, she didn't expect him that close.

"Did you eat something? I brought you dinner." she said softly wanting to distract him.  
"Yes, I ate. Thank you."

He turned her gently towards him and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Corey's eyes were still red, but he missed seeing her there so much that he didn't mind. Poe brushed her lips gently, and Corey felt her knees bend slightly. She gave him that kiss, and then every other one, but when his hands embraced her waist, the girl quickly pulled away from him.

"I can't, Poe." she moaned, "I can't stop thinking about all this... I can't stop thinking about this pain that met you and my heart breaks when I see your scars."  
"I know, honey, I know." He tried to approach her, embrace her and calm her, but Corey took a step back again.

She breathed deeply trying to calm down. Poe stood in front of her in a T-shirt and briefs waiting for what she would say next.

"I'm afraid..." she finally whispered "I'm afraid that I'll lose you. I'm afraid because I gave you my heart and if the war takes you away from me... Stars! I can't even think about it!"  
"Corey..."  
"No Poe, I can't live like that... I don't want you to live in fear like me..."

He found her within seconds, taking her face in his warm hands and kissing her although Corey tried to pull away again. He didn’t let her go, however, she gave in to him and enjoyed his closeness.

"I've been thinking of you since I left the base." he said, putting his forehead to her and feeling her hands on his "You were with me when they interrogated me, you were with me on Jakku. You were and you are my strength, Corey. It was always like that, I knew about it. I was always looking for you when I came back from the mission, only you can make me smile and give me a piece of home in this kriffing world. I love you for a long time... "

"We're friends, Poe..."  
"We were them until I kissed you for the first time. I should have done it before, Corey. I wanted to, believe me! I was afraid you wouldn't want me. That I'm just your friend... I don't want to be just a friend."  
"You are so stupid, Poe!"  
His face was full of surprise. Dameron didn’t expect such a reaction. He didn't really know what to expect, so he just put everything on one card and told her how he felt, hoping that Corey felt a bit similar. And probably she felt, because she kissed him so tenderly as if this short moment was to be the answer to everything.

"I love you, Poe." she finally said quietly, "I love you, you don't even know how much."

She clung to him with her whole body feeling his strong arms embrace her. Their lips couldn’t separate, they were thirsty for their taste for so long. Before she knew it, she felt under her crumpled bedclothes and Poe's sweet weight.

"Do you really love me?" he asked, looking at her with a smile "Do you want me, sweetheart?"  
"If you want me, Poe..."  
"Stars, you don't even know how much."

Her hands quickly stripped him of his shirt and, again, she sighed quietly seeing his bruises and small wounds. A grimace of pain appeared when she accidentally touched his sore ribs.

"I'm fine." he said quickly, seeing that Corey immediately withdrew her hands "I will manage. Just slowly..."  
"I don't remember the last time I was with someone..."  
"That's probably good, right?" a smile appeared on Poe's face "I will be able to impress you. But slowly, please..."  
"Poe-"

A loud alarm sounded throughout the base and they both froze. After a while, however, Corey and Poe jumped out of bed quickly looking for their clothes almost bumping into each other at the door. A few people passed in the corridor, but it wasn't until Jess who bumped into them was able to tell them more.

"I was looking for you! BB-8 is on Takodana!" she gasped, "First Order is already flying there. All pilots to the ships. General’s order!" Pava didn’t wait for their reply but ran further towards the hangar.

"I have to go..." Poe was surprised, but his face finally assumed the normal appearance, "I need to, Corey!"  
"Go!"  
"But I'll be back!"  
"I know, you always come back, Poe."

He took her face in his hands again, tenderly kissed her lips. Now he had where and to whom to return. Despite the pain in his muscles, his heart was filled with joy and... love. Corey was one of the people closest to him, she was his mainstay, his everything. Poe was never so happy that he took the risk. Corey was his lucky shot.

"I love you."

Her last words were like a mantra to him as he rose above the landing pad. Now he could defeat the entire First Order, restore peace to the Galaxy, because she was next to him. Corey was his power, and Poe knew it meant a lot.


End file.
